Party Hearty
by angie9281
Summary: A trip to New Orleans for some Mardi Gras turns into yet another misadventure. Things go from fun to worse as Sookie tried to put out a fire before the city is left turned upside down thanks to the tainted faerie blood that her viking has been unfortunate enough to ingest.
1. Chapter 1

**PART ONE**

 **Chapter 1**

Mardi Gras in the town was always something else in Bon Temps but this year, Sookie had wanted to go where the action was. New Orleans. She hadn't ever gotten the chance to attend the main event before and as such, she had finally convinced Eric to come along with her. Even he hadn't had the chance to attend such an event and considering how long he had been around, it was saying something. He had pointed out that he had visited New Orleans before but it was when he had been involved with trying to escape the Authority. And he had been high on Lilith's blood. He revealed to Sookie the terrible events of that night, that along with several other vamps, they had massacred an entire wedding party. So Sookie had understood his reluctance to return to the city.

"You will be with me to keep you in line and there isn't any god blood to drink. So you'll be fine." she said as they were packing. But she took note of his face and saw he looked troubled. "You didn't mean to help kill those people. You were out of your mind. You were stronger than the rest of those vamps and realized your mistake."

"Wayyyy…too late though." he replied, remembering the body of the young child he had seen amongst the dozens of humans there that evening. A party meant to celebrate had turned into a bloody, violent party for the high vamps. "If I could go back to that night, if I could change-" he stopped when she walked over to him and placed a hand on his back.

"You couldn't help how strong that stuff was. Look what it did to Bill." Sookie thought darkly to that whole Lilith fiasco. Shaking those dark memories off, she perked up. "This time will be fun. The parade, the beads, the food…..well, the food, more for me than you of course."

He harrumphed. "Are you trying to say that the partiers may not taste a little….different than the typical human fare…..not that I intend on sampling anyone other than you, of course. But if I was to-"

"Stop before you say something you will live to regret. And with you being you, that's a long time." she replied with a sly smirk as he looked her up and down with a growl in his throat. She loved when he made that sound. It meant, usually, a fun evening was in store. As it was, they needed to book it to the airport and such as it was, they wouldn't make it before dawn hit. And so they had had to hire a heavy duty Anubis transport where Sookie would need to have her Viking placed securely in the rear in a coffin. As much as she hated that thought, that idea, it beat the alternative. And so within the hour, they had reached the airport and were on the private jet to New Orleans. And due to the flight being short, there had to be more care in terms of hauling the precious cargo safely to the hotel and having had one bad paste experience in a hangar at an airport being ambushed, Sookie knew she was prepared this time. Her powers were not only fully awakened this time, but moreso than ever before.

It was only after checking into the hotel and she and her luggage and the lone coffin were in the closed up elevator did she get impatient and use her magic to transport herself and her belongings into their luxury suite. No sooner had the door shut and lock behind her did the surprisingly sturdy looking Plexiglass coffin slide open and she found herself literally being thrown on the bed, bouncing up and down on her backside thanks to the springs within the mattress. She laughed as she flung pillows at him and unfortunately, thanks to his immense strength, the pillows didn't last long and they were showered with the soft downy feathers stuffed within. "Five minutes and we've already done damage to the room."

"Like its hurting anyone. Only casualties are pillows and I promise, I will make it worth the staffs time to repair and replace anything that is…in the wrong place at the wrong time." he said as she threw a handful of feathers at his face, rolling off the bed before he could lunge at her. Fast as he was, he was unable to keep up with her as she flashed herself every which way, vanishing into a gentle, soft light and reappearing elsewhere, to her amusement. Time and time again she let him nearly catch her but with a thought, she proved faster than even he was, which was saying something.

"Come on, play fair." he said as she vanished and didn't return, instead, she remained invisible, making things sound in different places of the room. Good as his senses were, she quite enjoyed perplexing him and seeing him increasingly irritated and frustrated. Sensing that, she stopped and reappeared behind him, throwing herself upward and taking a piggy back ride on his massive frame. Laughing, he spun around and darted about the room in a blur before finally returning to the bed where he plopped her down again gently.

"You little minx…." he said as he frowned at her clothes. "I think maybe we should settle down now."

"I know your idea of "settling down." Sookie replied demurely. "But seriously, we just got here and I would love to get out there and do some sight seeing. Check out Bourbon street and whatever else is there. I think the big parade is tomorrow night, with the smaller ones having taken place earlier in the week. Building up for the big one." she replied as her clothes were being slowly, torn away. "Stop it!" she said with a exasperated laugh. "Come on, don't you want to take the time to see this place…..I mean, really get to see the city?"

He sighed, clearly somewhat disappointed. But he was not about to disappoint him lest he get disappointed further. The sun was down now and it was the perfect time to head out into the city. And so they changed clothes and headed out into the party capital of the state, unaware of the antics lying in wait.

 **Chapter 2**

He was clearly disgusted by the antics of the drunken women of all ages that surrounded them and Sookie wasn't pleased any more than he was that more often than not, when they got a glimpse of him, they would, of course, throw themselves at him. With a little glamouring, it was easy to be rid of the women but they both feared it was a matter of time before his presence was known, that no doubt he would be recognized for being who he was, what he was. But it seemed the later into the night they got into, the more drunk and raucous the people were becoming and their minds were seriously being affected. But as she walked side by side, hand in hand, watching the revelry around them and taking in the sights, she stopped as he stopped dead in his tracks. "What? what's wrong? You look like you see a ghost." Sookie said with a smile. A smile that faded as something got her attention to, whatever it was that was affecting him. She recognized it for what it was, her hybrid powers working together and she knew it was blood. But not just any blood. Faerie blood. But knowing the self control he had, she started panicking when he darted off to track down the source and though they could find each other through the bond, she knew he had shit his side down as they both were able to do. And with the thousands of people, she winced, fearing she would be hearing a scream not before too long. Yep, she sighed as a piercing scream filled the night air but luckily, the revelers were too entranced by their buzzes and the parade to pay much attention. And the fact he had presence of mind to go into a dark alley was fortunate. But what wasn't fortunate was the scene she walked in on, one that was all too familiar. The fairy he was draining had been clutching a photograph. And she saw it was one of herself. Dipping into the barely functioning mind of the dying faerie, she was somewhat relieved to learn he was a lone wolf. Someone who hated the fact that their daughter was a "unholy" blend of vamp and faerie. This attitude wasn't anything new and still, it hurt her to think that people in the realm of Faery still felt like she and her daughter were freaks, wicked, simply because they were different. As hurtful as it was that there clearly still those in Faery who distrusted her and her daughter, Sookie was determined not to let this deter her, nor was Aurora going to allow it to force her from the throne. For the most part, Faery was safe for them to be in and it would remain that way, to their last breath, if that was what it took.

She was rattled from her thoughts as she was forced to give chase once he had drained the faerie to the point the body dissolved into light and then dust. No big loss, considering the ill intent that he had clearly had. She was unsure of how it was possible, but the blood within this fairy was more potent and intoxicating than any other faerie blood, including even her own. That Eric had so easily been seduced and weakened to attack and then drain the faerie was clearly a troubling prospect. But no time to think about why this was now. Right now, she was looking at a chase through the city and he took off like a bullet and she knew she had to keep up. And hopefully, he wouldn't be overtaken with bloodlust for another, non fairy snack. Or multiple victims, which she feared. Because of that happened, if his inhibitions and self control were decimated by the overdose of extra potent faerie blood, no amount of glamouring or her own magic would ever be enough to undo the damage wrought.

 **Chapter 3**

The good thing was, with all the faerie blood now in him it seemed he was unconcerned about being tracked and had inadvertently reopened the bond. And so following him became easier though she sometimes forgot just how strong and fast he was. Still, she kept up well and managed to stop him several times from snacking on tourists. She had used her power to cloak her scent but desperate times were coming to desperate measures and she knew she needed to draw him out of the throngs of people and get somewhere. And it was then she decided to vanish and reappear on the outskirts of the city, on the shores of Lake Ponchatrain. A desolate area at this time of night, she was glad she had perused a travel guide to the city before they had come here and though this wasn't on their list of places to see, she was nevertheless grateful for it.

She let the walls of magic fall away that she had put up, hiding her scent and in no time, she was rejoined by a somewhat pained looking Eric. He seemed to be trying to fight off the influence of the super intoxicating blood and she had certainly seen him act this way before. This blood was something stronger. And yet, as he spoke to her, it was clear he was trying to fight the effects. "I…..Don't feel so great…" he said, looking as if he were still famished and there was the way he was looking at her that frightened and worried her. She could practically see him trying to fight his inner nature and she yelped when he lunged at her, stopping short of reaching her, instead stopping with a jerky motion, as if someone was pulling invisible strings on him. Somehow, she realized, he had restrained himself for the moment. But whatever was in his system, whatever souped up blood that was in him, she knew it was not going to wear out fast nor be a easy fix.

"I….I…don't know how long I can resist…this is different from the last time I had fairy blood….not even yours has done this to-" he lunged at her again, wanting more and seeing the crazed look that had replaced the temporary sanity that had had regained, she knew she had to do something more extreme. And so it was that she sent a blast of light right at him, not enough to kill, of course, but the force sent him hard into a metal structure that was so clearly unforgiving. Knocked senseless, she knew he would heal fast. Desperate for answers, she was relieved when two familiar faces appeared on the scene at that moment.

 **Chapter 3**

"We are so sorry….we should have gotten here sooner but we had some…..messes to clean up. A couple executions for those who consorted with that faerie who caused this to happen." Aurora hugged her mother as Aurora's husband Blaze followed suit. Both were in leather armor that was scorched and torn a bit, clearly they had endured something of a fight. "It wasn't as bad as we have seen in the past but every so often, rebels rise up and…well….."

"Apparently these faeries wanted to send a signal to get our attention and they so clearly want Faery to share nothing with him. They want to make sure we all know that there are those who still are gunning to get rid of Aurora from the throne because she is a hybrid. And they would take pleasure in taking out her parents too. This time, he was the target. With super powered faerie blood, what we got from the faeries we then executed was that they had hoped to drive him into such a craze, to cause him to become so far gone, that it would either lead him to carelessly stay out in the open until dawn or that those people who were sober, would rally and then take matters into their hands. He would be a sitting duck in a way, focused only on another hit of faerie that he would be ripe for the staking." Blaze paused. "It was a unique way to go about it, I will grant them, but this was dangerously close to ending badly and it seems we are not safe….not yet. Until that s out of his system, until the magic fades-"

"It won't fade." Aurora had crouched down beside her father and had been using her magic. "It will remain strong for as long as it is in him or until he meets the true death, a fail safe, as it were." she added another dollop of magic to keep him contained. But it was clear that there was something in the faerie blood he had ingested that was working against even her magic. And that realization came all too clear when they watched him awaken with a start and acted as crazed as he had before being so briefly incapacitated. After they both desperately tried to knock him out again with their light, they saw the magic of the blood within him fighting back, creating a shield of sorts, deflecting their attack.

"Great…..our magic is just going to bounce off….." Sookie dodged the Viking as he tore towards her, looking hungry and yet she saw there was something in his eyes that was surely regret and worry. She knew there had to be some other way. And as much as she knew what they had to try, she hated the idea. "Silver." she called to the others. "I'll keep him busy, you go find the strongest silver chains you can get and I think…I think we need to do a transfusion. And that means we need to get him subdued enough…and we need to get a decent supply of blood-"

"I feel like the best route to take would be to not just get blood from anyone…I think it would be wise to get blood from those linked most close to him…" Aurora said slowly. "Pam and Willa have his blood in their veins and-"

Sookie shook her head. "I don't want to bring them into this mess…..but I…I have his blood within me too."

Her daughter and son in law looked at each other and then back at Sookie, having forgotten in the chaos that she had in fact become what she had in thanks to Eric. It seemed like an eternity ago and through everything, she had come to appreciate being a part of two supernatural worlds, the power that she had come to possess had certainly come in handy. And she never would take it for granted. And now, she was about to be tested once again. "Mom…." Aurora knew what her mother was intending to do. "It is a dangerous thing and if we take things too far-"

"My blood is special, even more so since I am what I am….and I trust you to do what needs to be done. " she cut them off as she once more darted out of the reach of the Viking. "Get. Silver. Now! We can talk when he is a little more…agreeable."

Nodding, the pair vanished, reluctantly leaving Sookie behind to keep him distracted. With any luck, the plan that was coming together in her mind would work. If not…..well, she dared not even think about if things went…poorly.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2

**PART TWO**

 **Chapter 4**

They had returned within five minutes and though sweaty and a little banged up, Sookie was still in once piece, healing rapidly from her injuries thanks to her powers. Still, she was finding it increasingly hard to outrun him, he was, and would always have, that slight advantage over her being older and more powerful than her. Still, she was no shrinking violet and as much as it pained her to have to hurt him-she was being forced to use nearby metal chains to whip at him to keep him at bay-she was doing what needed to be done. And she wasted no time, when she saw her sin in law and daughter return, using her magic to take the thick silver chains from them and wrap them fast and hard around the over buzzed vampire. With a resounding thud, the Viking was forced down by the silver and as an added protection, the royal couple reluctantly threw a thin but no less powerful net of silver atop of him as well. Icing on the cake, as it were. They had also brought along supplies to perform the transfusion.

"Well…I suppose we had best get this started sooner rather than later. Only a few hours before the sun's gonna roll around ." Blaze said. "Are you certain this is the only way to-"

"Instinct is guiding me here…..but if that blood, that magic inside him is making him immune to our attempts at using magic in that way, this is the only other way I can see stopping this. And restoring him to normal." Sookie replied as she looked to their right where they saw him struggling against the trappings but was clearly affected, growing slightly weaker. "Lets do it." she said and as she situated herself on the ground, she was touched by the gesture by her son in law, a cushion appearing beneath the two of them. "Um….I don't think any of us are really…trained in doing something like this but I have watched this done before on tv…"

"Just let the magic do the work. Easy peasy." Aurora said and with a wave of her hand, the tubes, the needles and the collection bags where the blood would be stores and what have you were in place. The poke in her arm didn't bother Sookie and she watched as she saw the blood start to leak from him, blood that was so clearly not normal, even for a supernatural being. The three watched as the blood flowed, a almost black glittering swirl amidst the red seeped forth, slowly filling the bag that would take his blood….save for just enough to keep him from meeting the true death. The three surmised that with the magic in her blood, the potency of it, that it would be too much for the tainted blood remaining to thrive in and as such, would be destroyed, leaving only the new, untainted blood remaining. Risky, yes, but there was no other choice. it would be he who was drained first and then she would give up hers, dangerous for both of them but this needed to stop. The magic in the faerie blood was certainly potent and unlike anything else they had dealt with and the uniqueness of the situation required a unique solution.

Things went faster than they had expected and as he stopped fighting and appeared to be in some kind of comatose state, she knew it was her time to face the needle. And as she felt it enter her, as she watched the transfusion begin, she had to laugh inwardly at what a hospital would thing of their fairly rudimentary set up. But with a touch of faerie magic, anything was possible, even radical medical treatments such as this. None of the three were foolish and it was clear that somehow, Blaze and Aurora had become versed in this. Funny the skills people could pick up, Sookie thought to herself again as she slowly started to feel herself slipping away. She was laying on her back on the conjured cushioning under her and as she looked to her side where she saw the plastic tubing with her blood going through to him. She tried to keep her eyes open, to make sure things would work out for the best. And try as she might, even with the others there to watch over her, she couldn't remain awake. Her eyes fluttered closed as she joined him in a matching state of affairs.

 **Chapter 5**

"All we can do now is wait and see…." Blaze said as the process was completed and the transfusion supplies vanished with a wave of his hand. The two sprawled on the padded ground were not moving and yet there was no sign of anything that warranted concern either. "They look…..well, they've looked better…." he said as Aurora knelt in between her parents and guided her hands just over them, her light glowing over them as she assessed their vitals.

"They are stable…but we need to get ourselves somewhere a little less accessible to unwanted people." she commented and in no time, she had brought them to a non descript little cottage. "I think having a safe house in this realm is already paying off." she said as they placed the two in a guest room where a large bed rested, the windows magically able to turn light tight as the sun went down. "They haven't learned about this place yet but when they are up, we can give them the grand tour….if they wake up…..when I checked them before we got here, I felt their struggle to survive. This…..its taken a toll on the both of them and as strong as they are….this has been a great test to their limits. What if this time, the luck runs out?"

"These two have been through the ringer more times that I could imagine…..I don't think we have anything to worry about. We have to wait and see. Its all we can do now. But you….you look tired and I think we too need some rest. And with any luck, by the time we get up, we will find them awake as well." Blaze took his wife's hand into his and departed the room, closing the door behind them. And it was true, all that could be done was play the waiting game. It was several hours later, as dawn was starting to break, that there came movement from the still slightly woozy Viking, who sat up on the bed and though unsure of their whereabouts, knew it was somewhere safe, as he sensed familiar kin nearby. And then he looked to his right and saw a paler than normal Sookie and he looked at her with a rare panicked look on his face. Gently, he went to try to wake her up and then the bedroom door opened. Startled, he broke into protective mode and made to leap at the intruders, fangs out. Then he saw it was his son in law and daughter and he quickly retreated.

"What happened? The last thing I remember was….I smelled something….incredible and I couldn't help myself but everything else….its jumbled." Eric said slowly, turning back to the woman on the bed. "Fill me on what happened, maybe/" he added impatiently. And they told him of what had happened after the draining of the faerie, of the plan that had been hatched in hopes for causing irrevocable pain to their family. "And even though their plan failed…..she was adamant at going along with this and she has blood in her again…..but it seems she is a bit slower to recover. She is powerful, with what she is, but this has taken a great toll on her…..clearly."

There was a silence. "She….she seems to be barely hanging on…."

"If anyone can fight through this, it's her…..we will leave you to be alone with her. This is our safe house in the country. Magic prevents anyone unwanted or uninvited to find or access this place. And as you may see, its vamp friendly." Aurora nodded to the windows, pitch black and blocking out the sun that the Viking knew full well was up by now. Aurora and Blaze left the room but not before she touched her father's face gently, seeing the worry etched there, the tension. The haunted look. She knew he wasn't only worried about her mother, but that he knew that he could have done some terrible, irreversible damage whilst under the influence of that faerie blood. The door closed with their departure, leaving him alone with her. Sitting at her side, he shot up again and paced the room, anger, frustration and impatience in the air. He sat down again, gently, looking at the face of the one who had risked much to save him from the ailment he had fallen under. That she had been willing to do something so dangerous and unknown to help him…..it was both something he loved about her and hated. Hated because of the peril it had put her life in.

Feeling helpless was one thing he hated more than anything else and there was nothing he could say, do that could bring her back. But at least he hoped that she….he lost his train of thought as she opened her eyes, slowly at first but after a few blinks she seemed to be coming around. And he couldn't help but grin with relief as he scooted over closer to her and took her hands in his. "I wasn't sure if you were even going to open your eyes again….why did you do something so…untested and risky?"

She remained laying in bed and looked tired still. But her eyes were full of fire, life. "Why do you think I did it? Come on, you know why I did. And I would chance it again. And again and again. Because I know you would do the same for me. You have gone to extremes for me…." she trailed off as he lay down beside her had pulled her close. But gently, he certainly didn't want to push it. And it pained her, yet soothed her to feel the way he was feeling.

"I don't think I am meant to enjoy the city of New Orleans….at least, it would probably be best to avoid it during this time of year. I am two for two on having some crisis come up and I would prefer to not have a third thing happen." he paused. "Perhaps some family time instead, before we return home? I can get our things from the hotel…..or perhaps have them brought here for us?"

"Sure…Aurora could go flash over to the hotel…..pay the bill for us and bring our things back. But we can worry about that later….." she trailed off as she took a finger and gently wiped the blood that was trickling from his ear. "You clearly haven't had enough rest…..how about….a little nap." she said, yawning herself, still feeling the effects of the hectic evening the night before. Sleeping again, he watched her for a moment before he too fell asleep, comforted that he had at least, the core of his family here and that once more, they were left intact after another adventure. Fate and luck had worked in their favor again and he hoped to keep this streak going. And to avoid any further turmoil on vacation, he thought to himself, before falling asleep again, that perhaps a isolated jungle would be a more suitable vacation. He would rather deal with wild animals than rabid faeries any day considering that which the blood of the faerie had done and could have caused him to do to his loved ones. Then again, he was always one for an adventure and nothing, no one and no magic was going to prevent him from living his life. Or enjoying his family. Ever. The next few days would be spent with Aurora and Blaze before returning to their "normal" life in Bon Temps. Normal was always a relative term, wasn't it? The next morning would bring a relieved Aurora and Blaze to their room, checking to make sure that the couple was fine. And with the relief of the four, the next days were enjoyed together in domestic bliss, with nothing but nature and the wilds around them, a oasis on the outskirts of the city that had been less than kind to them all, the Viking especially. But nothing would keep him-them-anywhere from going to a place that had left them jaded, hurt. Nope, they were resilient. wouldn't be scared away like rats. Then again, he knew it would be a long time before he set foot in New Orleans again…save for the visit to the safe house that his clever daughter had had the foresight to conjure up for them. He was grateful for that…for them. For everything and everyone in his life. Always.

 **THE END**


End file.
